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Advice/plea to Fell Runners: tread

There has been a lot of speculation about what is allowed (or not) under the current Government regulations and there are no definitive answers. There will always be folk who try to bend the rules to suit themselves but I urge you all to limit your activities to minimise even socially distanced contact with other people and to avoid any physical contact with gates, stiles etc.

I am lucky enough to live within striking distance of the Lake District and there is nothing I love better than ticking off Birketts and other high fells. During my six decades, I have required rescue and hospitalisation twice and both were as as result of simple slips on easy ground. It can happen to YOU.

We all need to adjust our behaviours and attitudes.
Avoid ANY unnecessary travel. Run/walk from home.

Thank you
Charmian Heaton
FRA Chairman

Advice/plea to Fell Runners: tread carefully.
Now more than ever is the time to think about others and yourself. We can all help save lives by thinking and being considerate. Running is important for many of us, especially now the UK is in lock-down. This is our chance as a community to show leadership, compassion and maintain and build our reputation as responsible outdoor users.
Many of us are already working overtime in the NHS and other key roles across the country. We ask you please to read and follow this advice:
Run for sanity not peak performance - there are no races in the near future.
• Maintain base,
• Let those injuries recover,
• Do that strength and conditioning work you’ve always put off!
• Keep in touch! We’ll all miss seeing our club-mates, well most of them, social media makes keeping in touch easier than ever, but the phones still work and not everyone is online.
Don’t be a casualty - the NHS is busy and mountain rescue and other emergency services are too.
• Now more than ever – do not run if you feel at all unwell. Headache, sore throat, persistent dry cough, temperature of 38 or above and loss of smell/taste are all documented symptoms of C19.
• Don’t go for long and/or strenuous runs – injury or heart attacks are best avoided!
• Avoid running on terrain where you may injure yourself (think about walking it) – Mountain rescue may not be coming to get you!
Kit Check - You are on your own.
• Take full FRA kit as a minimum
• Take enough food and drink; the café is shut, the pub is too 
Infection – keep your distance, and keep your hands clean
• Avoid other people outdoors where possible, go early or late in the day to avoid the crowds
• Keep your distance if you meet others out there.
• Think about gates, styles and anything else that people had their hands on. Imagine everything you touch is covered in pink paint! How do you prevent transferring it to other surfaces and users? How do you keep it off the rest of your stuff – keys, jacket, shoes, front door – wear gloves you can throw away or wash when you get home.
Route planning
• We love running but its non-essential: run from home
• As always, let someone know your route and when to expect you back. By text/phone if you live alone.
We all love the fells but the current situation means we all need to act differently. Other European countries have banned mountain sports and imposed 2km limits for all activities. Please let’s all be sensible and keep the access we still have. One news story about a ‘reckless fell runner needing rescuing’ could be the end for now.

There has been a lot of speculation about what is allowed (or not) under the current Government regulations and there are no definitive answers. There will always be folk who try to bend the rules to suit themselves but I urge you all to limit your activities to minimise even socially distanced contact with other people and to avoid any physical contact with gates, stiles etc.

I am lucky enough to live within striking distance of the Lake District and there is nothing I love better than ticking off Birketts and other high fells. During my six decades, I have required rescue and hospitalisation twice and both were as as result of simple slips on easy ground. It can happen to YOU.

We all need to adjust our behaviours and attitudes.
Avoid ANY unnecessary travel. Run/walk from home.

Thank you
Charmian Heaton
FRA Chairman

Advice/plea to Fell Runners: tread carefully.
Now more than ever is the time to think about others and yourself. We can all help save lives by thinking and being considerate. Running is important for many of us, especially now the UK is in lock-down. This is our chance as a community to show leadership, compassion and maintain and build our reputation as responsible outdoor users.
Many of us are already working overtime in the NHS and other key roles across the country. We ask you please to read and follow this advice:
Run for sanity not peak performance - there are no races in the near future.
• Maintain base,
• Let those injuries recover,
• Do that strength and conditioning work you’ve always put off!
• Keep in touch! We’ll all miss seeing our club-mates, well most of them, social media makes keeping in touch easier than ever, but the phones still work and not everyone is online.
Don’t be a casualty - the NHS is busy and mountain rescue and other emergency services are too.
• Now more than ever – do not run if you feel at all unwell. Headache, sore throat, persistent dry cough, temperature of 38 or above and loss of smell/taste are all documented symptoms of C19.
• Don’t go for long and/or strenuous runs – injury or heart attacks are best avoided!
• Avoid running on terrain where you may injure yourself (think about walking it) – Mountain rescue may not be coming to get you!
Kit Check - You are on your own.
• Take full FRA kit as a minimum
• Take enough food and drink; the café is shut, the pub is too 
Infection – keep your distance, and keep your hands clean
• Avoid other people outdoors where possible, go early or late in the day to avoid the crowds
• Keep your distance if you meet others out there.
• Think about gates, styles and anything else that people had their hands on. Imagine everything you touch is covered in pink paint! How do you prevent transferring it to other surfaces and users? How do you keep it off the rest of your stuff – keys, jacket, shoes, front door – wear gloves you can throw away or wash when you get home.
Route planning
• We love running but its non-essential: run from home
• As always, let someone know your route and when to expect you back. By text/phone if you live alone.
We all love the fells but the current situation means we all need to act differently. Other European countries have banned mountain sports and imposed 2km limits for all activities. Please let’s all be sensible and keep the access we still have. One news story about a ‘reckless fell runner needing rescuing’ could be the end for now.

What I wouldn't give for a run round the block. Any form of outdoor exercise has been banned here in Spain for 2 weeks now, with two more to go in all likelihood. You'll even get fined for running stair repeats or laps of the garage, if those spaces are communal.
So if you don't want those kinds of measures, it might be prudent to stick to the guidelines.

I know the latest (as of this writing) government advice is to "do your normal exercise" but for most that doesn't mean a 4hr walk, run or bike ride. No-one's going to have a race to train for so you might as well just tick over and do the minimum needed for that.

There's a lot of "softening up" by the government at the moment, a full lockdown is more than likely it's just a matter of when. Be sensible and there's a chance it may be delayed, possibly even avoided. Taking the piss isn't being sensible even if the guidelines allow it.